How Sam Saved Dean Again
by DeppsLadyRosebud
Summary: Seq. to HSSD. 3 years have passed, and everything has been going wonderful... Until now. ...Finally Finished! R&R let me know what you are thinking! I feed off the stuff.
1. Chapter 1

-1**How Sam Saved Dean…. Again **

Dean awoke and smiled softly toward the figure sleeping next to him in the small hotel bed, he was working a case in Omaha Nebraska currently, and the young brunette next to him was his current 'object of momentary affection'… It wasn't that he didn't want a long term beauty, a girl to come home to at night, make love to, and spend his life with… It was just that his current job forbid such normalcy.

Or at least that was the excuse he used when anyone questioned him about his escapades. He didn't mean to hurt them, going into these one night stands, he made sure that the girl, whoever she was, was completely aware that it was a one time… ok sometimes maybe two times… thing.

Stretching with a yawn the now 24 year old Winchester brother brought his hand down to her long dark hair and ran his fingers through it to rouse her, tickling the back of her neck softly…

Her light green eyes opened as she tilted her head toward him and smiled the morning sun bathing their sheet clad bodies as she herself let out a petite yawn before speaking… "Morning sunshine." she whispered and brought her arm up resting a hand on his bare chest and fiddling with the necklace placed there.

Dean looked down at her, and smiled rubbing the silky soft flesh of her arm gently. "M-M-M-M…." Dean's brows furrowed and he swallowed as she looked up at him…

"Dean?" Her voice was more than a little confused, her eyes concerned as she studied his face…

This could not be happening, there was no way… He exhaled and tried again "M-M-M-M"

"Ar-are you alright?" She asked sitting up and leaving her hand on his chest, she knew they were drunk the previous night when they did… whatever it was they did,… But she would have noticed this… And the look on the muscular man's face, the surprise written there… Told her that he was just as confused as she was…

Dean grunted and shook his head closing his eyes as he sat up, what in the hell was going on? What in the world was happening here? He climbed from the bed and slid his boxers on before making his way across the room to retrieve his cell phone from his jacket pocket.

Leaving the young woman whose name was Shannon, speechless plopped like a rag doll in the middle of the hotel bed, he stepped outside and closed the door behind himself.

He looked down at the small contraption in his grasp and scrolled through his numbers, finding the one that read Sam, his finger ran over the send button, he needed to call him, he needed help…. He needed his little brother… He needed… Answers…

He stood there for a minute drawing his lip into his mouth the cold morning air biting bitterly at his nearly naked flesh, his head shook back and forth again and he snapped the phone shut before he headed back inside and grabbed his pants throwing them on, the phone was useless, he couldn't spit out a damn word, what good was the phone going to do?

He then grabbed his jacket and his duffel bag working around the young woman still sitting there lost, never acknowledging her with so much as a nod. He needed to get going, he needed to get to his brother, and that was the only thing on his mind right now.

He stopped once everything was ready, and scribbled down a note on a piece of paper:

_Sorry Dad…. Something came up…. Call you soon._

What else could he say? He folded the note and on his way to the Impala he stuck it in the windshield wiper of his father's overly sized black truck.

It was going to take him almost a full day to drive from his current location to Stanford, twenty three hours and forty-six minutes to be exact. All of which his mind was going to be racing….

The radio was off. The windows were up. And Dean was scared out of his mind. A combination of very un-Dean like things for Dean to be doing and feeling…

There was just, no way… Taking a deep breath the road ahead of him, he opened his mouth remembering part of the riddle his brother had made up for him, alone there in his car….He thought he would give it a try….

His muscles tensed just as they used to, his head already throbbing… "T-T-T-T-T" He growled and swallowed his thoughts spinning in a whirlwind so big it took everything he had to keep his eyes on the road as he pounded mercilessly on the wheel in front of him in frustration…

He pounded and pounded for a good three miles before a tear found it's way from his eye down his cheek followed by another, then another… he swallowed hard, he hated to cry… he never cried. He was a fighter… A warrior, and they were not allowed to shed tears….

Even when he was alone, he never cried…. But he was crying now…. Frustration and fear had consumed him so deeply that he allowed the tears to come, in fact he welcomed them…

Hours and hours of them…

Before finally he found himself sitting in the parking lot of Stanford University, the clock on the dashboard reading 6:55 Am. He had made it in less than twenty-one hours…

Climbing out of the car and stretching his legs he groaned, his body and his mind were so overly exhausted that he thought he couldn't take another step….He couldn't move another inch…. But his fear kept his body moving.

He knew that his brother's dorm was in the West Hall, but that was all he knew, he hadn't thought to ever ask… And he had never once made it to visit like he had been promising for the last three and a half years…

A decision he now regretted.

Sticking his keys into his pocket he sucked his bottom lip once more into his mouth and made his way into the building…

It was just as he had seen in the movies, the polished wood, the nerds with glasses, the books lining the walls… Everything was just so typical…

The large desk on the far end of the room against the wall with the INFORMATION CENTER sign above it, dean guessed was the first place he needed to go.

There was a young man, who must've been about Sam's age standing behind it his fingers typing away quickly on a computer keyboard.

Dean cleared his throat and tapped his fingers on the desktop.

"How might I be able to help you?" The redheaded youngster asked, his glasses resting on the tip of his pointy nose as he looked up, the perfect accent to his green and red plaid vest…. _Yikes… _Dean found himself thinking a smirk coming to his lips… _Welcome to nerdville _

"W-W-W-WNNNN…" Dean growled and swallowed, _shit what the hell do I do now? _He thought his eyes scanning the desk for a pencil, and much to his surprise and dismay not finding one…

"Excuse me?" the boy asked a smirk coming to his own lips as it was obvious he fought to keep from laughing.

Dean's face grew furious and he cleared his throat…. _Little punk, I should kick your ass and use it to wipe that my shit don't stink grin off your face… _

But he simply tried again… "W-W-W-W-W…" He closed his eyes and tilted his head back his hand still resting on the desk balling into a fist, his stutter not only seemed to have returned, but it appeared to be worse than he remembered…

"I'm sorry…I don't understand" The young man was obviously growing short on patients and manners as a snicker came to his voice and he tried to cover it by clearing his throat.

Dean's violent side was rising to the surface and when his eyes opened again they burned with disapproval… "W-W-W-W " He tried to take in a deep breath but had to settle for two shallow ones instead.

"I don't understand…" The man repeated as one of his many fellow students walked by, "He Joe, you know who this guy belongs to??" He asked turning to the tall darker skinned man who just shook his head in response.

"Why? What's the matter with him can't he tell you himself?"

"He's retarded or something…" The red head said without thinking…

Dean's eyes immediately widened, "I can't understand a thing he's trying to say…"

Before he could even blink the nerdy young man found himself hoisted up against the cold hard wood of the wall behind his desk his feet dangling off the ground…. The slightly shorter yet obviously stronger man's hand was around his neck and his eyes were set on fire with fury…

Dean was really not in the mood for this, and he sure as hell was not retarded, he held fast to the scrawny man's neck holding him there tightly and planning to not let go until the little bastard understood what he wanted and told him where he could find his brother…. His hazel orbs were burning into the man's freckle covered face.

"Woah, dude…" The young dark skinned guy approached the desk his own eyes wide, "It's really alright…. I'll-I'll help you, just please put Bill back down…."

Bill, that was this assholes name, yeah he looked like a Bill, considering the only other Bill that came to Dean's mind at that moment was Bill gates, the richest nerd of all time,….

Before to long there was a crowd of people surrounding the help desk in the back of the room, and Dean made no attempt to let go of Bill the longer he held him there, the angrier he got, the angrier he got the longer he held him there, it was a vicious , vicious cycle. He wasn't squeezing hard or anything, at least he didn't think so… Just enough to scare the little shit…

Sam Winchester closed the door to his dorm room and slid his theology text book under his arm as he took the steps two at a time down into the main lobby, he had plenty of time to kill before the class actually started, but the earlier he arrived the further in the back he could sit….

As he reached the bottom of the stairs his head cocked to the side a little and he squinted noting the crowd of people toward the back of the room surrounding the help desk, "What the hell is going on?" He asked softly to himself, the hunter, the helper in him, forcing him to go check it out.

As he approached though pushing his way through the mass of bodies, Sam's face froze at what… who he saw before him….

There was his brother, pinning his resident advisor to the wall… Dean's face was furious, pain filled, and Sam wondered what in the hell was going on…

Dropping the book he was holding to the floor he stepped into the small space unoccupied close to his brother, "DEAN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" His voice was angry.

Hearing his brother's voice caused Dean to relax a little, but still he was not sure he wanted to let go as he cocked his head to the side as if to contemplate the matter, _nobody laughs at Dean Winchester you nerdy son-of-a-bitch! _ He found his head screaming the hand around Bill's neck tightening just a little as a surge of fury ran through Dean's body….

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Sam ordered his voice taking on a tone similar to their fathers, when he was barking orders at them. He put a hard, disapproving hand on Dean's shoulder and tugged heavily. "DEAN…. Come on man what's this about huh?"

Dean finally did as he was asked and let his hand fall from Bill's chest watching satisfied as he stumbled when his feet touched the ground again, fear evident in his eyes as he looked from Dean to Sam clutching his throat in purely over dramatic fashion, "Th-This retard belongs to you?!?!"

Sam had to act quickly putting his hand to his brothers chest and holding him back, his older brother making an attempt to lunge once more toward the ballsey yet stupid resident advisor…

"Watch your mouth Williams or I'll let him go…" Sam snarled trying to keep his cool, the crowd around them growing larger and larger by the minute.

"He's not even worth it…" Sam whispered venomously looking from Bill to Dean who was still being held back by his arm, face masked and spilling over with pain… anger and even a little fear…

Sam's grip on his brothers shoulder was tight as he practically pulled Dean away from and out of the crowd by the arm, a confused look still on his face as they made there way to the other end of the room away from wandering eyes and ears, the group of college kids who had been surrounding them now dwindling, a few of them now huddling around Bill listening to him tell an overly traumatized version of the events leading up to his 'attack'…

"So…" Sam exhaled running a hand through his hair, "Let me ask you this again…"

Sam noticed Dean was to busy watching the young man he had just probably literally scared the shit out of over his shoulder and paying no attention to him…

"Hey…" He pulled on Dean's chin and forced his face to shift, "I'm over here, now why are you here Dean…"

The older brother's eyes closed and he swallowed fighting to concentrate..

"Is it Dad, did something happen to Dad?" Sam's heart stopped beating in his chest and he held his breath in until he saw his brother's head shake back in forth in an obvious no motion.

"Well then what is it man, talk to me….."

Dean's eyes opened again and this time Sam swore he saw tears just below the surface as his mouth opened and his jaw trembled… "H-H-H-H-H-H-HEEEEEE" Dean swallowed repeatedly his nerves shot frustration written across his entire face.

Sam's face scrunched a little growing even more confused by the second he frowned, "What?"

Dean's hand's came up and he began motioning with them as though he were trying to spit the words out.. "HHH-H-H-H….SSSSSSS-S-S-S-S-S." His attempt was fallowed by a long and pain filled growl.

"It's back…" Sam whispered putting a heavy hand on Dean's shoulder, not to sure what to make of this himself…

Now that he looked deeper, he saw how tired, how run down his brother appeared and he knew he must have been driving all night and all morning, he knew what kind of state he must have currently been in….

"Just ummm… Just try to relax alright." He glanced toward his watch, trying to keep his cool "I'm gonna blow off class today, we can go back up to my room and try to figure this out…"

Dean swallowed hard at the response his brother was giving. He was hoping praying, for the answers that Sam obviously didn't have. He nodded his head almost numbly and followed his baby brother back up the steps toward his dorm room.

As soon as they we safe inside his room the door closed behind them Sam took a seat on the bed and looked up at his brother, "Did I demon do this?"

Dean shook his head.

"A witch?"

Again with the head shaking.

"Anything supernatural?" Sam was silently hoping for a nod, something that they could fight, something that could be defeated and magically allow life to return back to normal.

But his hopes were quickly broken with a final shaking of his brothers head.

"You mean to tell me that after over three years, you just woke up… and it was back again…"

Dean swallowed, "sssssss-sssssss-…." He grunted and Sam watched his face tense up again his jaw clenching as his adam's apple bobbed,…"sss-s-s-s-st-stron-stronger!" the word finally came out.

"I can tell…" Sam frowned slightly and ran his hand over his face clearing his throat. "This is just… weird-" Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Sam's cell phone.

He reached into his pocket and pulled it out looking at the caller I.D it was a number he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"Sam… It's your father…."

"Dad,…Hey…."

Dean's face froze and he swallowed watching, he knew that his brother could not lie to his father for him..Sam was never much of a fibber that was always Dean's department…

"Hey, is your uh, is your brother there with you? I got this weird note from him this morning, and it's well… its not like him to just run off like this."

"He's here." Sam replied shortly.

"What's he doing there."

"He just uh, he needed some time away is all…" Sam lied sighing softly,

"Time away, is that what he told you?"

"Yeah…."

"Can I talk to him?"

"He's um, he's sleeping right now, I don't want to wake him, he just uh, he just got here about an hour or so ago…"

"Sam."

"I promise I'll have him call you as soon as he gets up alright?"

"I guess that's going to have to do…"

"Dad?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is that the only reason you called, to find out where dean was?" Sam couldn't help but sound more than a little hurt, this was the first time his father had called him since he had arrived at Stanford, and the only thing he wanted to know about was Dean?

"Is there something you need?"

"No..I just you know thought you might have wanted to talk or something…." He cleared his throat, "But- never mind we'll call you later alright?"

"Okay son. And Sam…"

"Yeah Dad?"

"You take care of yourself okay?"

"You too…" Sam hung the phone up and glared in his worried brothers direction, Dean's face studying him intensely as he chewed hard on his bottom lip.

"You didn't tell him you were coming here?"

Dean shook his head…

"Why the hell not…. He has a right to know what is going on with you, You're not going to be able to hide this from him you do know that don't you?"

Sam watched as Dean's hands flew up in the air in response to all the questions being hurled his way. He hated not being able to answer them, but at the same time it was a slight relief not to have to.

"terrific." Sam grumbled.

And it was acknowledged with the same apologetic look he used to receive when he was roused in the middle of the night to relay a message between Dean and their father, a look that meant I'm really sorry about this but what else can I do….

"I know… I know, you're sorry…" Sam rose to his feet and began pacing the small room they were in, "Have you tried the exercises we used to do?"

Dean's glare intensified.

"Stupid question I guess…" The younger brother rubbed his slightly unshaven chin, "I just… I'm not sure what's causing this… Let alone how to help you with it…but… we'll figure it out."

That was not the most promising thing Dean had ever heard come from his brother's lips, in fact it wasn't promising at all… He didn't want to go back to how things were before, he knew he couldn't live like that now that he'd been given a taste of freedom from the prison he had been locked in for so many years….

He couldn't go back to that.

Out of the corner of his eyes Sam saw his brother's face fill with even more pain, more fear if that was even possible and he took a step closer to him putting a hand on his shoulder his tone strong. "It's gonna be alright… We'll figure this out…"

But Dean gave no acknowledgement to the encouraging words, he just kept his gaze straight a head…

"I mean it Dean…" He tried again emotionally pressing a little harder, hating seeing the current state Dean was in.

Flustered. That was the correct word Dean's eyes shot up, "N-N-N-N…A-A-A-A…." He resisted the urge to hit something, anything his chest heaving out breath after breath in a panic sort of state…

"hey… calm down." Sam warned, "You're not helping anything by getting yourself all worked up like this, there's no way your going to be able to get a word out…"

Dean settled again for an icy glare to relay his feelings.

"I'm serious." Sam drew in a breath and exhaled, "Just like when we were younger, Deep calming breaths, I know it's hard but you have to relax…."

Dean's lip sneered in disapproval before he finally caved and imitated his brother's deep lung filling breath and exhaling.

"Good. Now, there's a specialist here on campus, maybe I could get you an appointment with him?"

"mmm…mmm"

"You've got to see someone about this…."

"n-n-n-no!"

"Alright… Alright, I'll just uh, I'll go talk to him this afternoon and see what he can come up with for you to try…. In the mean time, you need to get some rest… You look like shit man, I'll search the net and see if I can come up with anything else to try…."

Dean couldn't help but stare directly at his brothers lips, he envy he had felt so long ago returning like a bolt of lightening striking through his heart, his brother had everything he ever wanted…. Brains…. A life, and even a normal speech pattern…

Meanwhile Dean had nothing, only hunting, hotels, hunting, guns, and oh yes more hunting….

He nodded in the taller man's direction not in the mood, nor having the strength to argue he kicked his shoes off and allowed himself to fall back on the soft mattress of his brother's bed… Sleep yes sleep would be good, then he would be free of the thoughts flying through his brain, at least for a little while anyway.

- It was hours later when Dean finally awoke, before blinking his eyes heavily and looking down at his watch. 2:15 pm he had been asleep for somewhere around seven hours, well that was a start. The now rested man's face wrinkled a little in confusion as he sat up and looked around running a hand through his messy dirty blonde locks.

Sam was no where around….

It took him a few minutes to spot the small piece of paper sitting on top of his brothers solid oak desk near the door, rising to his feet he headed over and read it quickly.

_Dean,_

_I had an appointment with the specialist at 1:45, and after that I have a test in my last class I nearly forgot about so I be back somewhere around 6 I promise, just hang out here until then._

_Sam_

_P.S. Oh and Dean, don't go getting yourself into any trouble alright?_

Dean's lips turned into a smirk and he shook his head at the small p.s. at the bottom of the note, when had he ever been the one getting into trouble? It was always, always, always Sam who needed the bailing out, even when they were younger, that was what he spent more than half his life doing, helping Sam out of one jam or another, whether it was during a hunt, with a girl, or even a few bullies…

Although Dean doubted Sam got picked on anymore by the size of him, he still remembered the days when he did, since little Sammy was almost always the newest kid in town. And Dean would neve3r have to say a word, he would just pound the punks face in until he had beat an apology out of the little twerp, and his brother would be a happy camper again…

Pulling himself back to present day, the rested, but now restless Winchester fished for his keys in his jacket pocket, he was in a college town… and college town meant hot momma's and great bars… He didn't have to talk to enjoy the scenery… Besides it would do him a little good to loosen up some, just have a few drinks and forget about things for a little while.

It wasn't like he was going to get drunk or anything, he never did, just a few beers to calm the nerves…

Sam would never even know he was gone.

- "Dean, Sorry I'm late I…" Sam frowned as he pushed the door to his room open and found it empty inside, his brother was no where to be found, and it was nearly seven thirty p.m. Where in hell was Dean.

Opening is cell he put his books down and with his phone to his ear slid his shirt off before going to his closet to find another one, already knowing he was going to have to go out searching for his big brother,

"_Hey this is Dean… If you need me leave a message and I'll get back to you, if this is a wrong number then hang up you moron and don't bother wasting my time."_

"damn-it." The young man growled and closed the phone putting it into his pocket.

He knew where his brother had gone, Dean was definitely a drinker, which Sam had never understood really, with the life they had grown up with, their father always slightly plastered and hardly ever fully sober,… How could Dean want that life for himself?

So yes, Sam knew where he was going to find his brother, he just didn't know which one, this being a college town and all there were bars on nearly every corner…. "I'm gonna kill him." He mumbled to himself as he stepped back out the door and slammed it in frustration….

He knew that his brother was upset, he knew that he was lost right now, confused and even a little scared, but that didn't mean he needed to do what Sam knew he was out there doing… This was going to be a long night….

Six bars and about three hundred drunk people later, at just after 8:45 Sam stepped through the doors of the Firehouse and a sigh of relief and exhaustion crossed his lips, seeing as how he had been on foot in search of his older brother.

There he sat head slumped forward slightly half hoisted on to the stool, the stealth hunter qualities he possessed nearly non-existent as Sam watched his head tilt back and a small glass of amber liquid was poured down his throat.

"Fabulous." He frowned watching as the big breasted petite blonde waitress leaned over the counter, and dean's finger came sloppily up into the air pointing at another bottle close by and nodding, before sliding a few bills between her cleavage….

Clearing his throat Sam closed the distance between the two of them and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder from behind… "Hey there big brother…." His voice was loud in an attempt to be heard over the horrid Achey-Brakey Heart blaring from the jukebox mixing with the sounds of drunken chatter.

Dean's head was heavy as he forced it to shift up and his glassed over red orbs took in the sight of his baby brother, in fact at the moment he seemed to have two…. No three…. No two, baby brothers looking down at him with glares of disapproval. "hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ssssssssssmmmmmmm,"

It was a good thing Sam spoke drunken stutter as his frown simply deepened, when his brothers intoxication met it's peek, his sounds would come out easier, but they were still broken and now slurred, "Can you stand up?" He asked uncrossing his arms from his chest and shaking his head in the direction of the waitress who was headed there was a new shot glass and fresh beer in her grasp. "He's all done for tonight thank you"

"I think that's up to him… Isn't it sugar britches…" She smiled in Dean's direction.

The drunken man nodded looking at his brother with a sloppy half grin. "f-f-ffffffnnnnn s-s-s-s-sssssssssmmmmm"

"No- no you're not fine, you're drunker than shit, now get the hell up, we are leaving." He was growing increasingly angry the longer he stood there, looking down at the pathetic sight before him of his drunken brother.

Dean could hear the sound of disapproval in his brother's voice and frowned to himself, he was just trying to have a little fun, just trying to forget, and he wasn't even that drunk….

He rose to his feet and immediately staggered to the side his feet unsteady breath reeking of beer and whiskey the same combination of poison their father preferred.

"Woah…" Sam reached out and placed a heavy and sturdy hand on the shorter man's upper arm gripping it hard and balancing him, "Fine my ass…" He mumbled leading both of them toward the exit… Dean's feet stumbling and tripping him the whole way as he was being drug out of the bar.

"I-I don't understand why you do this to yourself, you know? I mean I really have no freakin idea Dean, what it is that makes you want to be like Dad, you were there as much as I was, the drinking, the hangovers the tip toeing, you saw it all with me and I just don't understand it….." Sam was furious as they stood outside of the bar the cold night air he was hoping would help sober his brother enough to navigate his own feet.

Dean felt nauseated as he leaned against a large telephone pole and looked in the direction of his brother, this was the first time he had been up right since his drinking escapade had begun about six hours or so ago. He had started out slow at first… a few easy drinks, but the more the night progressed the more his alcohol intake did as well… It felt good… to Drowned like he was… to feel free and at ease with everything…

Everything of course except for the look of anger and pain that was burning through him from his brothers eyes at the current moment…

"s-s-s-ssssssssssssssmmmmmmm" He blinked and swallowed,

"I don't wanna hear it right now Dean." Sam spoke through gritted teeth, putting his hand out. "Give me your keys man."

Dean nodded and reached for them in his pocket before listlessly dangling them out in Sam's direction and watching as they fell from his grasp before his brother could grip them clanking against the side walk…

On unsteady feet he leaned down and felt the concrete come in contact with his head "mmmmm" he growled and felt the vomit rise in his throat his feet underneath him giving way at the same instant

Sam thought for a split second about letting him just hit the ground and vomit all over himself, about just leaving him there in his own mess he had created. But he couldn't do that… he didn't have it in him…. As he leaned forward and gripped the close to heaving man around the waist holding him upright and kicking the keys out of the way from where Dean was about to get sick.

"I gottcha" He mumbled half heartedly…

_Second half to come soon, you guys wanted this and that is the reason I wrote it so I hope you enjoyed it and as always let me know what your thinking, the good the bad and everything in between._


	2. Chapter 2

-1The next morning Dean awoke with a grunt, the rays of light coming into the room bright and blinding as they filtered in and stung his eyes. Rolling on to his stomach feeling more then a little nauseated he grimaced and put the pillow that was beneath his head over it instead.

"Oh no you don't, get up." Sam's voice was louder then Dean could remember it ever being before as he felt a tug on his ankle and tried to shake off his brother's grip. "You think your going to get to sleep in and recover from a night of stupidity you got another thing coming." Sam reached over and flipped on his clock radio Highway to Hell blasting through the speakers instantly and into Dean's ear.

The older man grunted once more and shot up giving the now grinning an amused Sam a death glare as he put his hand to his head and closed his eyes.

"You got something to say to me?!" Sam retorted his brother's icy stare with a tone that was more then a little confident as he crossed his arms over his chest in obvious judgment.

Opening his eyes again Dean blinked trying to clear the small black spots now dancing in front of him from his vision and snarled before picking up the pillow he had been using and chucking it in the younger man's direction with exceeding force. "B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B…" Dean's attempt to speak faded into a boisterous growled as he got up from the bed and stormed into the small adjoining bathroom of his brother's dorm room.

A minute later he re-emerged still zipping the fly of his jeans his eyes still having an unpleasant 'I wanna murder you' look inside of them.

"Well, aren't we mister sunshine this morning…" Sam held out a paper cup toward Dean, the aroma of fresh coffee feeling the hung over man's senses as he took it and drank welcomingly from it, not caring as it burned the inside of his mouth,

"So…" Sam chide taking a seat on the edge of the bed and looking up at Dean.

Dean returned the gesture looking down his brow cocking as though to say 'so what?'

"I talked to the Dr. here on campus yesterday while you were out on your boozing escapade… And he's really like to see you….He finds your case fascinatingly unique."

Fascinating??? Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes shaking his head, "mmmmmm…mmmm"

"I didn't figure you'd have the same enthusiasm about it as he did." Sam cleared his throat, "So I uh asked him what I should do to help you because you were a stubborn prick who refused help from anyone besides me, and even that was like pulling teeth."

Dean rolled his eyes ignoring the small sting his brother had thrown in needlessly to his 'report'. "a-a-a-a-a-a….a-a-a…"

Sam frowned watching Dean now even the smallest word was proving to be more then a little difficult, he watched his brothers lips stiffen his neck tighten and his eyes squint at the corners as his adam'a apple moved at an exceedingly alarming pace up and down up and down over and over again, but he refrained from interrupting… ad fought to keep the concern from his features, this whole situation confusing the hell out of him.

Dean's thought pattern seemed to be as broken as his speech as he tilted his head back a little and resisted the urge to just punch the wall right then and there… _AND…. AND YOU MORON…AAAAAANNNNNDDDDD…"_A-A-A-A-AAAAAANNNND?!?!"

Sam flinched inwardly but kept the emotion inside as he continued to speak, "And, he says that there are many options to consider, but that you should really see some sort of specialist because they will be able to better diagnose and assess your situation."

Dean grunted and slammed his fist into the hard wood of the computer desk he was standing next to sending a resounding thud through the small dorm room as he grunted loudly.

"Hey." Sam shook his head, "I know your frustrated alright, but it's not helping anything to be angry just try to take a deep breath…" Sam stood and went to the top drawer of his dresser fishing for a notebook and a pen before returning to sit in front of his still un-amused and frustrated brother. "Let's try to go through a few exercises, maybe you know if I help you… We can figure this out…" Sam hated seeing the fear and unbalanced emotion in his brother's eyes and he had to do something…. Anything to at least try to help him.

Sam wrote down a few small sentences on one of the sheets of paper, sentences that resembled the same ones they had used years before in their speech exercises before handing it to Dean. "Look these over and sound them out in your head alright, just like before…."

_The cat is fat._

_The Fat cat is in my lap. _

_The fat cat in my lap is brown._

Dean couldn't help but smirk at the lameness of his brother's choice in subject matter, most guys Sam's age would come up with something a lot more… adult then a fat lazy cat. The amused man thought momentarily about changing a few words more to his liking before shaking the idea from his head and studying them as though they were the only thing that mattered on the planet.

Each word, each letter sounded out and carefully dissected in his brain as he opened his mouth to form the first letter his brother's voice came once more to his ears.

"Slow Dean, nice and slow, listen to yourself say it before you do and then concentrate, just like before okay?"

Dean thought back to the first time they had battled this Demon, Sam was only sixteen then, but he was still quite the teacher and quite the patient one, he really was the best brother Dean could ever ask for… Even if he would never tell him that.

"T-T-T-T-T-T-T…T-T-T-T" Dean closed his eyes and swore he could see the letters dancing before his closed lids taunting him and sticking there none existent tongues out at him. The sound of his broken speech filling his ears his cheeks began to redden and Sam watched as his shaking hands balled into fists….

"Stop." He whispered his voice remaining calm as he rose from his seat at the small table where the two of them were now sitting and made his way around to his brothers side crouching down. "Deep breath alright you can do this…"

Agitation was seeping from Dean's body now as he took in as deep a breath as he could manage and let it out slowly trying to calm himself, Sam was right there was no way he was going to get anywhere if he couldn't even control his own anger.

Sam took his brother's hand now ignoring the displeased look he received as he did so and placed it against his throat, "Feel the vibrations…" He spoke smooth and quiet, "Feel each letter…"

Dean's fingers twitched against his brothers throat and for a spilt second he had to resist the urge to claw at it out of jealousy, once again finding himself angry over everything his brother had, everything his brother was able to do, that he was not. He closed his eyes and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind doing as Sam asked and concentrating on the vibrations against his fingers.

"Tttttthhhhheeeee." Sam rose his voice a little to strength the vibration, "Nice and smooth one single movement, "ttttthhhhhheee."

Dean nodded as he opened his eyes and looked at his brother, he knew, he knew all of this already, but it wasn't working, why didn't Sam understand? Dean had tried all of this already, he had been there and done that, and nothing seemed to be helping.

"Now you come on." Sam reached over and placed his hand on Dean's throat carefully, he could feel the muscles tense immediately to his touch and frowned, "Dean relax." He ordered, "No one is here, no one can hear you."

_You can… And that's embarrassing enough. _Dean grunted and opened his eyes glaring at his brother, a headache quickly building behind his eyes and filling his head as he found the same spots from earlier clouding his vision.

Sam frowned his forehead creasing with concern as he watched the color drain from his brothers face without warning… "Dean?!?!"

Sam's voice sounded a million miles away as the now paled man's vision went from spotted to almost completely black and he could feel his body slumping forward into something hard, yet warm and welcoming…

Fear engulfed Sam was he watched his brother's body wavier, his eyes rolling back into his head as their lids drifted shut.

"DEAN!" Sam screamed again as he caught the now still form of his brother before Dean's head could smack against the wooden table in front of him.

But it was no use Dean was out cold. As carefully as he could Sam pulled his brother from the chair he had been sitting in and laid him across the floor taping the sides of his face as he retrieved his cell from his pocket and dialed 911. "Come on man, wake up…." He pleaded his tapping turning almost into smacks.

- The smell of sickness and sterilization filled Sam's senses as he paced the floor of the overly sized hospital, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets. He couldn't comprehend what the hell was going on, none of this seemed to be making any sense, one minute his brother was perfectly healthy…. And now well… Now this?

Something was definitely up.

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice as he snapped his head up to see his father coming toward him a look of fear and uncertainty written across John's face mirroring his own.

"Where is he???" The older man asked his voice sounding as panicked as his expression as he finally came to a halt in front of his youngest son.

"He's still back there." Sam nodded to the two solid grey double doors that he had watched his brother disappear behind still unconscious over two hours prior.

"Have they told you anything?"

Sam shook his head, "Not… Not a word, Dad…" He let his voice die off on his lips, if he told his father about the happenings the night before, about why Dean had come to him, his brother would be more then pissed, he would be so angry he would probably slap the shit out of him… but did that really matter? John had a right to know, Dean was his son, and something was definitely wrong with this whole situation.

"What is it?" John prodded lightly taking note of the confused look written across his son's face, a look he had seen many times before when Sam was battling inwardly on whether to rat out his brother or not…

"Dean…He uh…" Sam drew his lip into his mouth and chewed on it running a hand through his hair and drawing in a breath, this, this was the right thing to do….

"What Sammy.."

"He came to me for help." Sam only now looked into his father's eyes having avoided them before, "He came to because he didn't know what was going on…"

"Going on with what Sam? Why would your brother come to you and not to me?"

"His stutter." Sam's frown deepened. "IT was abck, and he didn't want you to be worried or disappointed…"

"What the hell?" John whispered more under his breath then out loud.

"That's the thing, we can't figure it out, it's just like… like it never went away…. It seems to have gotten worse, he-he couldn't even get a word out…"

"How does something like this happen?" John asked looking to his son in vein knowing that Sam didn't have the answers he was seeking in his statement, but having no where else to look….

"And so…I talked to one of the uh, the doctors on campus, and he wanted to see Dean, but Dean wasn't having it… So this morning, we sat down and we were doing some of the exercises that we used to, trying to re-enforce his speech pattern when he just…passed out… no warning no nothing he just collapsed."

John's expression was dumbfounded, he didn't understand he though this whole thing was behind them, and a slight amount of anger and guilt about the whole thing was finding it's way into his senses again…. "You should of called me…"

"I did…"

"No, before when he came to you, you should of told me what was going on…"

"He asked me not to…."

"I don't care." John's voice was as angry as Sam remembered with every fight they had had in the past.

"We didn't know it was this serious… We just…."

"You, YOU were careless…"

"Don't you pin this on me damn-it." Sam growled finding his face now only an inch from his father's. "We are not children anymore, he came to me for help!"

"A lot of good that did him!" John couldn't stop the words from spilling out as he saw the pain immediately fill Sam's face and features.

"Go to hell." He spat in defense just before he saw the doctor approaching from the double doors a few feet away.

"Jacobson?" The man asked approaching John and Sam and clearing his throat, "Family for Dean Jacobson?"

"Yeah…Yeah That's us, how is my brother doctor?" Sam asked remembering the name printed on the insurance card he had provided to pay for Dean's care.

"He's resting now…" The doctor's voice was calm a definitely positive sign.

"What happened to my son doctor," John looked to his name tag, "Cameron"

"Dean suffered a Mild cerebral aneurysm, most commonly caused by a severe trauma to the head." The older man looked down at the chart in his hand, "The aneurysm has ruptured causing a hemorrhage which was the cause for his loss of consciousness."

John held his hand up toward the doctor, "How long has this aneurysm been inside my son's brain doctor?"

"Really, there is no way of knowing.." The man spoke honestly, "These things are often undetectable through normal everyday tests until they burst… Has there been any other changes in your son's behavior lately?"

"He's… He's been tired a lot." John nodded, "And you see when he was younger he suffered from a severe stutter, and within' the past few days it seems to have returned ten fold."

"These are directly related to the rupture," The doctor nodded, making a few notes in the chart, "Anything else, blackouts, trouble walking, dizziness?"

"Not that we know of…" Sam spoke up, "But that's not to say they weren't happening, my brother he's just not the most sharing and caring type of person?"

"I know a few people like that myself…" Dr. Cameron smiled a little.

"So… what do we do now? How do we help him?"

"I have stabled Dean's condition until we can get consent from you on where to go from here…. Your son is a very lucky young man, and this one here…" He pointed to Sam, "Saved his life, had he bled on his brain much longer there may have been irreversible brain damage or even death."

John felt his heart jump into his throat and clog his windpipe as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sam whose expression was identical to his own, fear and anguish reading all over his face.

"But as I started to tell you before, he is a mild case and we have classified the him as a stage 2 hemorrhage which means there is a small Subarachnoid hemorrhage, we have relieved the pressure on his brain and managed to stop the bleeding for the time being… but the best course of action now is a new procedure where a thin, hollow tube, called a catheter is inserted in the groin area and threaded through the blood vessels to the site of the aneurysm in the brain. Once the catheter reaches the aneurysm, tiny platinum coils are placed inside blocking blood flow and preventing rebleeding."

"I-I want to see him…" Sam shook his head, "Before you do anything to him, I want to see him, is he conscious?"

The doctor looked from Sam to John, "We've given him some medications son, and he's regained coherency, but he is not exactly…"

"He's doped up." Sam nodded, "I understand that, but I want to see him."

"Alright, while your father and I finish up the paper work you can-" Before the doctor could even finish his statement Sam had disappeared behind the double doors and toward his brother's bedside, he needed to see him, he needed to know that he was alright, he didn't like fearing for his brothers life like this, and he needed confirmation from his own two eyes that his brother, his hero was alright.

"So, doctor…" John cleared his throat a little, "What's the recovery time and prognosis…." John tried to keep his wondering and worried mind on the task at hand.

"He should only be here for two nights, baring any complications of course, and there will be minimal recovery time required even after that as opposed to most patients who suffer what your son is suffering through…"

"Which means?"

"As far as we can tell there has been no serious damage to any of your son's physical limbs or portions of the brain aside from the area surrounding the aneurism which is located in his Cerebral Cortex. Which means that although your son may have to once again learn the aspects of speech and fluency, he will come out of this situation relatively unaffected which is more then I can say for most."

John nodded although the man was speaking in doctors terms he got the jest of that was being thrown at him, "Alright… Where do I sign?" He held out his hand for the pen, "I want this over with and I want him safe."

- "Hey." Sam whispered taking a seat next to his brother's bedside and placing a hand on his causing Dean's eyes to open ever so slightly. "How you feelin'?"

Dean nodded just a little able to make out the form of his brother through his drug hazed vision above him, Sam's words sounding like echoes in the back of his head,

"Don't worry man, dad's here, and uh we're gonna take care of this alright? There gonna put you out and there gonna put a catheter inside of you that's gonna correct this shit going on inside your brain okay?"

Dean was tired, so tired as he tried to make sense of Sam's words, tried to understand them, but it was to hard, as he closed his eyes finding comfort in the hand placed on his and allowing himself in his weakened state to fall into a soft slumber.

- John looked over at his youngest son and frowned as he rose up from his seat and moved closer to him sliding down next to him. "Sam look I uh…."

"I-I know dad…I know…" Sam whispered and placed a hand on his father's knee glancing up at the older version of himself, "It's okay."

"No it's not… and I'm sorry, I'm sorry for a lot of things. I'm sorry for the father that I was to you and your brother…"

"There's no need…" Sam cleared his throat finding the sincerity in his father's eyes slightly unsettling as he attempted to change the subject, "So um, he's gonna be okay right?"

"Like the doctor said he's pretty damn lucky, but he is going to need to learn to control his speech patterns again,. It'll um, be like before for a little while, so as much as he doesn't want it, I'm going to have to find someone to work with him."

Sam shook his head , "No, I'll do it…" He sounded more then confident. "I'll just take some time off until he's recovered…"

"Sam, you know I would never ask you… Dean would never ask you to do that."

"I don't care…" Sam grunted, "Your not asking me, I'm telling you, my brother is not going to go through this alone." He left no room for argument as silence crept up on both men.

"Dad?" He spoke again after a few minutes.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you ummm, do you know what could of caused this…?"

John nodded without thinking about it, the truth was he had been thinking about it since the doctor had said the most likely cause was head trauma, he knew exactly what had happened, exactly when it had happened… "Yeah… About two weeks ago, we were in Austin hunting a thought form…" John cleared his throat a little, "Dean ended up flying into the book shelf… He was unconscious for nearly twenty minutes while I finished the incantation….When, when he uh came to I tried to get him to get checked out, but you know your brother, he swore he was fine, that he was tough as steel and there was no need to fret…."

"Stubborn bastard." Sam mumbled under his breath, the doctor was once again coming toward them.

"The catheter is installed, and now we just have to wait…. You can go sit with him if you like, he's already out of post op and woke up just a few minutes ago asking for Sammy…" The man grinned as Sam grimaced at his brother's nickname for him, "I assume that's you."

"That's me…" Sam nodded halfly reminding himself to remind Dean later that Sammy was a chubby 12 year old and these days he went by just Sam

_There will be one more installment this this short for all of you who wanted me to finish it, I hope it's alright… I didn't know for the longest time where to take it, but this seemed like the most logical option, anyway please let me know what you are thinking, those of you who have read my previous work know how much I feed off of reviews. The good the bad and the indifferent, I want it all._


	3. Chapter 3

-1**How Sam Saved Dean Again**

_Chapter 3- The End_

It had been nearly five weeks since Dean's release from the hospital as Sam sat on the edge of his dilapidated hotel bed in the run down motel room they were currently calling home. This was a lifestyle he swore to himself he was never going to live again… Yet here he was staring mindlessly at a re-run episode of I Love Lucy.

He could hear the water in the small adjoining bathroom shut off and grunted to himself in response shaking his head. He could still remember the renewed sense of hope he felt that afternoon over a month ago when the doctor emerged from his brothers room saying that Dean had been _asking _for him. If he was asking for him that meant that he was talking, vocalizing and that he was going to be alright,…. Didn't it?

As quickly as his hope had appeared it vanished when he entered into the small stale hospital room and immediately spotted the small piece of paper with his name scribbled across it. Letter that were no more legible then those written by a first grader. _SAMMY. _Even in his heavily medicated state Dean refused to simply write Sam, it was shorter, it had fewer letters… but no he had to use his embarrassing nickname instead.

Since his release from the hospital Dean had been the epitome of silence, he settled for points, grunts and scoffs rather then even attempting to speak. To Sam's surprise John had gone along with it! He got his son whatever he wanted, without ever making him ask for it, and he did it with what almost seemed to Sam like a song in his heart.

Guilt, Sam knew that that was the only reason his father had been so attentive to his eldest son's needs coming to his beck and call with every whimper. But that had to end, in the beginning Sam himself had been guilty of it as well, had 'babied' Dean not wanting to rush his recovery to soon. Today though, today that came to an end whether Dean was ready for it or not.

Sam had put his entire life, his education and even his chance at love with a wonderful new girl he just met named Jess, to move back to this shitty lifestyle and help his brother, he had done it with no questions asked,. He wanted to help Dean, he needed to, he knew he was the only one who could, but what good was he doing sitting in a run down motel room staring at a re-run? This was not helping Dean, this was only bringing Sam's recently discovered anger and annoyance to a boiling point he could no longer ignore.

John was out on a hunt, he wouldn't be back until the fallowing morning at the earliest and as he heard the bathroom door open Sam knew there was no time like the present to call his brother on his stubborn and childish behavior. No better time then now to force him to at least attempt to speak. He hadn't even tried not a single word… At least not that Sam had heard anyway.

Getting up from the corner of the bed where he had been sitting he flipped off the television and tossed the remote on to the repulsive green and yellow comforter before heading in the direction of the small kitchenette. Dean was currently pouring himself a cup of coffee wearing nothing but a pair of light blue work out pants his towel slung around his shoulders, a walking twenty-four hour fitness ad if Sam had ever seen one.

He smirked inwardly at his own joke not daring to say it out loud before forcing his face to wear a neutral expression and clearing his throat. "Nice shower?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the small stove.

Dean took a long sip from his fresh cup of coffee before shrugging in response and turning to head toward the main part of the small room.

"Yeah well… What do you expect when your only paying twenty bucks a night for a place, we've definitely stayed in better." Sam was nervous, hell, nervous was an understatement, he was down right petrified of the buttons he was about to push, as he watched Dean slide with ease down on to his bed and reach for the remote as though life were peaches and cream and everything were as it should be.

Drawing his lip into his mouth the younger man took a seat rigidly on the corner of his own bed and eyed his brother cautiously. He knew what he needed to say, he knew he needed to be firm, that he needed to push or Dean was never going to get better, so why all the sudden had he lost his nerves? Why had he turned into a spineless jelly-fish? He didn't remember it being this hard the first time he had confronted Dean about his condition and forced him into therapy… But then again the first time he hadn't almost lost his brother to a bleeding brain aneurism either…

Maybe it would be alright to let him go on like this for just a little longer? Maybe he wasn't ready to recover just yet? Maybe he still needed time…. Sam felt his insides twist with confusion, a feeling that obviously spread to his face as he glanced up to see his brother staring at him, Dean's eyebrow half cocked in question and worry.

"What?" Sam scoffed out before he could stop himself rubbing his temples.

Dean's nose wrinkled a little and he brought his hands up in a surrendering motion, shaking his head before scanning the desk next to him for a piece of paper and a pen.

'_What's with you' _He scribbled down quickly, his penmanship leaving something to be desired before tossing it into his brothers lap.

Sam grunted at the small post it pad, he was so tired of seeing these damn things, these little yellow squares with words sprawled out across them, he swore that someday they were going to swallow him alive. With an agitated sigh he read the words and shook his head exhaling. He tore off the top sheet of paper and crumpled it up throwing it as hard as he could into the trashcan and watching as it sail in, "Nothing." He rubbed his knees a little and got up. "I'm going out."

Dean watched his brother go the confusion on his face only deepening as he did so, but rather then call him on it like he knew he should, like he would have done in the past, Dean simply let it be turning the volume up on the TV and resting his head back against the headboard.

Sam's hand was already on the doorknob when the little voice inside of him spoke again, reminding him what needed to be done, what he needed to do. _You have to do this Sam, you have to be strong and forceful, you can't just let it go on anymore, he needs to grow up. You're the only one who can make that happen, and besides you have a life to get back to… Grow some balls and tell him. _His hand fell from the knob and he turned to face his brother.

Dean looked up from his program, his eyebrow once again cocked and Sam knew he was asking in his own silent way what the hell was going on now?

"You know what? It's not nothing Dean, it's you alright?" Sam's tone was accusing and cold as he spoke.

Dean snorted and pointed to his chest in a _'who me?' _innocent gesture his hazel orbs widening a bit.

"Yeah you, when the hell are you going to get up off your ass and do something instead of lounging around like some sick helpless puppy while dad and I take care of you? You've been out of the hospital for five freaking weeks and you haven't done a damn thing to even jump start your recovery… You just walk around with your head high in the sky and your nose so far up dad's ass I can't tell where he ends and you begin and I'm sick of it!" Sam drew in a deep breath and exhaled, it actually felt good to release so much from inside of him.

Dean picked his jaw up from where it was currently resting on his chest and shook his head a little as though he were trying to comprehend what his brother had just thrown at him. Rising to his feet the shorter yet older man scoffed a little and crossed his arms over his chest as though he were standing in judgment.

"You're not even trying, you haven't tried to say a single word! You'd just rather point and scoff and use dad and I as your own personal vocal whipping boys! And dad!" Sam chuckled bitterly, "He feels so guilty about what happened to you that he's softer then a grandma at Christmas time, handing you anything and everything you want on a damn silver platter!" He shook his head his messy brown mop shaking a long with it as he rubbed the bridge of his nose pinching it softly, "I swear sometimes I wonder why I put my life on hold for you… Gave up on everything, like I did thinking that you might actually want to get better."

Sam's words stung unlike anything Dean had ever felt before, no demon, spirit or spawn from hell could have thrown more venomous and painful daggers than the ones he was currently being stabbed with as his look of indifference slowly changed to one of rage and anger. How could Sam say these things to him, how could he be so harsh, so raw and so heartless after everything Dean had been through didn't he deserve a little slack?

"What the hell are you afraid of?" Sam pushed, he could tell by the look in Dean's eyes that he was on the verge of breaking, but that was what he needed, he needed to break, to feel pain, anger, anything…. So that he could rebuild again… "It's like… you're not even my brother anymore." Briefly Sam wondered if he had gone to far as he watched some of the anger dissipate from his brothers icy stare, giving way momentarily to eyes that Sam swore resembled those of a wounded and helpless animal.

The last sentence hurt worse then all the others combined and before either man knew what was happening Sam found himself pressed against the far wall Dean's forearm held strong and mercilessly against his throat.

His eyes burned, raging with a fire so angry that Sam sore he could feel the heat radiating into his flesh, the wounded animal from seconds before having disappeared into the deep and complicated confines that were his brother's soul. His lips were curled into a snarl, his free hand balled into a fist at his side as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with force. He was shaking trembling, and Sam knew he had never seen Dean this mad before. Still something inside of him told him now was not the time to back down, he had to stand his ground.

"You got something you want to say to me?" He spat out his words a whisper his breath hot against his Dean's face only centimeters from his own, "Or are you to scared? Scared that you might fail, that you might actually have to fight? That you might have to remember how to be a man?"

Dean closed his eyes and snarled loudly his heart was once again pounding so fast in his chest he felt as though he had just run a five mile marathon in less then a minute. Sam's words were replaying themselves over and over in his mind as though there were some kind of broken record embedded there….

Scared? Dean wasn't scared of anything? He was strong, Fearless, a hunter…. And the fact that anyone, especially his little brother, his side kick, had thought that of him, was enough to make his stomach nauseated.

The heat of the moment weighing down on him Dean brought his fist up into the air and only seconds, millimeters, before it was to meet his brother's face dropped it again regaining control of himself and his emotions. He took a step back but kept his forearm tight against Sam's neck opening his eyes again. Had he really just almost hit his own brother? Was his rage, his anger really that deep?

The minute Dean's eyes reopened Sam met his gaze in a challenging glance, locking them stare to stare his nostrils flaring as he spoke "You wanna hit me Dean? Go ahead, it won't change anything…. You'll still be a mute bastard. A guy who spends to much time manipulating people to do what he wants and not enough trying to get things himself."

Dean's arm dropped and he shook his head a little still keeping his orbs connected with his brother's his jaw locking. "SSSSSSSSSS- SSSSHUT U-UP!" He screamed before bringing his hand to his head tears, actual real tears threatening to fall at any minute as finally he found the strength and will to turn his face away. Sam may have broken him, may have gotten what he wanted, but he was not going to get the joy of watching his brother cry to go along with it.

Sam relaxed instantly his shoulders slumping slightly as he took a step forward, this wasn't exactly how he had planned for things to play out, but still inside below the surface he was satisfied… And slightly relieved, at least he knew now that his brother could talk again lifting a weight of fear off his shoulders.

"See…. Now that wasn't so hard was it?" He rested his hand on his brother's shoulder from behind keeping his voice a low whisper once more, "I was hoping for a phrase a little less negative, but I'll take what I can get."

Dean's shoulder tightened a little as he felt his little brother's hand on it and he turned to face him his eyes rimmed red with tears as he stared in the taller man's direction trying to force them away.

"You are a stubborn bastard, but I knew I would get through to you eventually." Their was a pang of guilt resting inside Sam now as he saw the tears resting below the surface of his brothers tough and macho outer shell, and knew that he had put them there. A feat nearly impossible for any human being to accomplish. But it was for his own good, Sam kept reminding himself.. He was doing this for Dean.

Dean had no choice but to smirk at the cockiness in his brother's voice and appearance as Sam tilted his chin into the air a little.

running a hand through his hair composing himself and more importantly his thoughts as he drew his lip into his mouth, the sting of his brother's words still strong and aching inside of him, Dean attempted to speak "y-y-y-y-ooooooo- uuuuuu…" He blinked feeling his throat constrict and licking his dry lips as he shook his head, "mmmmmmmmmm." He growled eyeing his brother with discontent and even a little jealousy.

Sam's eyes softened a little and he gave the shoulder still under his grasp a slight squeeze. "Relax, we've been through this before, and you know that I'll stand here all night if I have to just to hear what you have to say."

The stuttering man smiled sheepishly at that, more than a little embarrassed as his head bobbed up and down and he tried again shoving his hands uncomfortably into his pockets, "mmmmmmmm… mmmmm-e-e-e…mmmmeeeean….tttttt-th-th-thossssssssss-sssseeee?" By the time he was done with that single question his throat burned and his patience had worn out. Looking to his brother, seeing the happiness and the relief written across Sam's face made it all worth it. It even kept Dean from picking up something and chucking it into the wall like he wanted nothing more then to do right now.

"Mean what? Those things that I said before about you?"

Dean nodded.

"Yeah…" Sam answered honestly rubbing his chin a little, "Some of them I did…."

Dean tried to hide the hurt from his eyes, but it was no use as he could tell by the next statement to come from his brother's lips as though he were justifying himself further.

"Dean, look…. I just I can't sit around here and watch you let go of something that you and I work so hard to find, you're not even fighting for it… it's like you don't want to get better, and I'm not use to that, I'm not going to put up with it anymore. I took everything that I had going for me and set it aside to come here and help you through this. Don't think I'm trying to sound selfish or cocky here, but I never wanted to come back to this life, I swore I was done hunting, done with all of it….. I have a new life."

"SSSSSSSS-SSSSS-STAAAAN-STTTTAN-FOOOORDDDD?" Dean didn't mean for it to come out so… angry as he winced at the sound of his own croaking voice and rubbed his throat which was quickly beginning to throb.

"Yes, a life at Stanford, Friends and a girlfriend." The younger man drew his lip into his mouth, "Well more like a potential girlfriend but still… You and I have both always known that this gig wasn't me. I wanted, I needed more and now I have it."

Dean found himself staring at his little Sammy in amazement and wondering exactly when he had transformed from a pimply faced child who lived under his brothers wing to this man standing before him ready and willing to go out and face the world.

"just because I'm not here physically, you do know that it doesn't mean I'm not here for you don't you? No matter how many miles are between us your always going to be my brother."

Dean's hand shot up in the air and he shook his head, stopping Sam before he could go any further into his Agitha Christy routine, his brother always was the sappy one.

"Yeah yeah, I know, no chick flick moments…" Sam smirked running a hand through his hair.

Dean opened his mouth to speak again and it was Sam's turn to cut him off. "You've done enough of that for today, no one says I'm leaving tomorrow we have time to fix you up right just give those vocal cords of yours a rest for the day."

Dean's jaw shut as quickly as it had opened and he smirked a little shaking his head as he stepped around his brother and grabbed the keys to the Impala dangling them in the air and raising his brow in question.

"You and that car man, it's the sickest relationship I've ever heard of." Sam laughed shaking his head again, "Alright alright, lets go…"

As The engine to the Impala roared beneath him and Dean threw her into gear he glanced over at his brother and smirked, he thought about all the times he had saved Sam from various evils and creatures, how he protected him for all those years….And now, Sam had returned the favor, Sam had saved Dean in a way that no one else could.

All was going to once again be right in the world of the Winchesters soon enough, and that was a very comforting thought, as the older man pressed his foot to the gas and sped off.

_I know it took a while, but there is your ending so please met me know what you think… And as always thank you so much for your replies to this story throughout they mean so much to me._


End file.
